Tractor Supply to open in Lodi

Friday

Jun 6, 2014 at 12:01 AM

Tractor Supply Co., a retailer catering to small farm and ranch owners, announced it will open its 34th California store in Lodi, occupying the space of the former Orchard Supply Hardware, this summer with a tentative target of early August.

Reed Fujii

Tractor Supply Co., a retailer catering to small farm and ranch owners, announced it will open its 34th California store in Lodi, occupying the space of the former Orchard Supply Hardware, this summer with a tentative target of early August.

The Brentwood, Tenn.-based chain of more than 1,300 stores in 48 states currently has one other San Joaquin County store, in Ripon, which opened in late 2008, as well as an outlet on Twin Cities Road in Galt.

Lodi has just the type of customer Tractor Supply hopes to serve, District Manager Cyndy Munson said.

"Lodi is a great fit due to the part-time and hobby farmers, and horse owners in the area," she said in a news release.

Tractor Supply should be a great fit for Lodi, said Pat Patrick, chief executive of the Lodi Chamber of Commerce.

"It means more jobs," he said Thursday.

And the store should generate additional economic activity, particularly for its east side Lodi neighbors, Patrick added.

"If this ... becomes an anchor store like Orchard was, it can bring people from the western part of Lodi over to the eastern part and (customers for) some of those other businesses in that shopping center."

Tractor Supply said it would employ 12 to 17 full- and part-time workers at the new store.

It has contracted with Lake-view Construction Inc. of Pleasant Prairie, Wis., for the renovation work, which began May 26.

The store will include a sales floor and support service space. A fenced exterior space will provide storage and display space for items such as fencing, sprayers and livestock equipment.

Merchandise will include products for the care and feeding of livestock and pets, agricultural products, tools and hardware, after-market light truck equipment, work clothing, and lawn and garden supplies and equipment.

Tractor Supply stock is publicly traded on the Nasdaq exchange under the ticker symbol TSCO. It closed Thursday at $65.54 a share, up 36 cents for the day.